Another West Lafayette public art display that I definitely recommend you check out when you're in…read morethe area. This is escape darkness by breaking the chains. I'm sure it has a nice meaning behind it but it's got a lot of cool art.

On the side of Sacred Grounds Espresso Coffee Shop, a two part mural was added as part of the…read moreWabash Walls! art program in Sept 2018. The mural, done by event coordinator and artist Cameron Moberg (Camer1), has two parts: a dark space framed in orange with feathers and broken chains flying out; and a dark space framed in blue with a dove flapping its wings trying to escape from the chains holding its ankles. The images seem almost 3D the way they pop off the brick wall they are painted on. Escape Darkness, Breaking Chains seems a literal title to the activity within the murals. Review #1548

As part of Wabash Walls 2019, this mono-chromatic mural was created by Paola Delfin. Although…read moretucked away on a side street, it is worth winding around to find this on the east wall of Korty's Insulation. (It is not visible from the street, so you have to go to their parking lot.) The mural consists of portraits of four people of diverse ethnicity. The artist from Mexico City uses murals to express her own sensibilities. Review #3339

Part of the Wabash Walls! mural project in 2018 took place at the Junction House at 215 Smith…read moreStreet. The property is right next to an elevated pathway along the railroad tracks that is terraced. Artists Cameron Moberg (Camer1) and Jenna Morello painted four panels that are now displayed along that pathway on the east side of the Junction House property. The panels look like they may have been picnic table tops that were converted to artwork. I have heard that on some of the panels, local kids were allowed to decorate the panels first, and then the artists came by later to touch them up and build upon for a more professional finish. Panels include words like "Be the Change" and"Hope", and "Beautiful". One of the panels simply has a multi-colored floral pattern over shades of color. Review #1546

We came across catfish while we were in West Lafayette riding around looking at all all the public…read moreart. It's a big old catfish on the side of a building with a lot of colorful displays. Go check it out.

There is a mural of two giant catfish painted on the south wall of the Crossing on Wabash. The…read moremural was painted by Aaron Vickery (Fasm) and Ella V in September 2018. The mural is the southern most installation for the Wabash Walls! mural project that was intended to bring color and energy to a community trying to unify and make the neighborhood family friendly. The catfish are huge and are somewhat whimsical in style; definitely more colorful and appealing than most catfish I've seen in real life! Done in shades of blues and greens, the catfish fill the foreground of the mural while the background is filled with reds and yellows that I cannot come up with a good guess as to what they signify. (Maybe the catfish don't want to end up in a fish fry. ha!) Review #1553

I paid $32 for my 8 year old daughter, disabled son, and I when we only used the pool part of the…read morepark and lazy river. While getting out of the lazy river a lifeguard helped us to the part that gradually gets more shallow on your way out instead the steps, which was fine until we get all the way out where there's no more water just before the cement starts, and first my daughter slips and falls, then just as I'm seeing her fall (and while holding my son) I fall too. Not just a little slip but we completely fell to the ground. It was so extremely slippery in that spot. Luckily we walked away with scraped knees and the top of my foot scraped. Somehow I managed to not drop my son. The place was packed and not a single person asked if we were okay or needed help up. Not to mention the lifeguards blew their whistles constantly at some kids "too tall" to go down the baby fish slide or for standing/sitting on the water spouts by kiddy area. But didn't care about the older boys throwing a full size football nearly hitting people's (including me and my kids) heads in the deeper swimming area. Overall it was an okay time, my kids had a lot of fun and that's what matters most. But I think some changes are needed. I've been there plenty of times even when I was a kid myself but this was my least favorite experience. Most importantly they seriously need to fix that slick spot before someone busts their head or breaks a bone.

Lots and family fun here. My son was too small (under 48") for most of the water rides, but he…read morestill enjoyed the splash fountains, wading pool, dolphin slide and we both loved the inner tube lazy river ride. Lots of lifeguards are posted here and many nice people help keep the kiddos safe. Life vests are available for extra precaution and a few different pools to play in make it fun for all ages. No refunds if the weather turns rainy, so plan accordingly.

This controversial mural is the work of The Droops, an Indianapolis-based artist collective who…read morewere commissioned by The Spot to do the piece in 2015. It located on the side of the Spot and overlooks their parking lot. It takes up 2 sections of the bar's side wall. The mural is in great shape but as you can see in the photos, its lower park is obstructed by parked vehicles. It is a collogue of random images that include a guillotine, a beer on a folding chair, a tombstone, a skull, a in a bikini with four eyes holding a beer up, a knife, a clown, a bomb, a trumpet, a cigarette butt, a foot, a face being punched by a fist, a hand holding a knife, and an odd character holding a beer while playing a piano. The mural also depicts a naked woman tied to a tree and male genitalia in between a hotdog bun, which caused quite a site as you can imagine. There were calls by the community to have the offensive piece removed, covered up or fenced off. The change.org petition ended with 20 supporters. At one point the Lafayette police issued a warning that artwork was violation of the city's graffiti ordinance. There was a point during all of this that they used a Mike Pence head (who was governor at the time) to cover the male genitalia. Ultimately, the Spot won and the city decided that the mural was not graffiti and did not meet the criteria for a citation. The mural is standing today. Even though there are a lot of images to digest. The artwork is very nice. This is a provocative piece that definitely generates conversation. You can deiced for yourself what your thoughts on the piece are. Parking to get a closer look at the mural is easy, even though it overlooks a parking lot, the lot is kind of tight. There is however, some free parking pretty close to the mural too. Anyway, as with most murals that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider planning out additional stops at many of the other attractions in the area, or making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. There of tons of murals to check out in the immediate area.

Good bar with friendly staff. On weeknights it's a chill place that makes good drinks at a decent…read moreprice. They have a turntable and offer to play records if you bring them in. On weekends it can get packed and they open up the dance area with loud music. The vibe is still good, just a lot more going on. The outdoor area is a great place to hang out for a more chill experience on these nights.

In front of the Veterinary School on Harrison Street, a large installation called "Continuum" is…read morededicated to the relationship of humans to the domesticated animals that make up home and farm life. The installation has seven stand alone pieces that are lined in a parade fashion along the front plaza. A pair of sculptures have veterinarians. One is holding some test tubes in the air while another is kneeling beside a calf/heifer checking its vitals. In another piece, a young boy is playing with a dog. The other pieces include a cat, a horse, a pig. The final, and tallest piece is a flat panel that has cutouts of animals shapes. This piece is supposed to represent early cave drawings. Another odd, but appropriate for the location, feature is that on one side of each animal, instead of appearing smooth like fur or skin, you can see a relief of what the animal's skeletal structure might look like on an X-ray. Very odd to see, and a little creepy, but definitely takes the installation from being a typical farm scene to a place of study. Review #1461

Here I was, all set to claim that I was the first person to write a review about a wood and steel…read moreblock in downtown Lafayette. Because, surely, no one had written a Yelp review about a public art piece called cRRossings, right? But wouldn't you know! My good buddy Ken N., may he rest in peace, had written about this cubed wood-and-steel art piece eight years ago. Of course he beat me to it. Of course. You can see this artwork in downtown Lafayette, kind of at the outskirts of the downtown area, at 11th and Main Street. Like Ken N. describes, the cube is angled to look like it might fall over at any minute. The piece pays tribute to Lafayette's railroad history, and cRRossings is placed very close to where railroad tracks used to be before the railroad was relocated. Scott Frankenberger, an artist from West Lafayette who mostly specializes in pottery, is responsible for this art piece.

The last train ran through downtown Lafayette in 2001 due to a track relocation project. Just a…read moreshort distance from where the track crossed Main Street, local artist Scott Frankenberger created a sculpture to pay tribute to the railway. In 2009, "cRRossings" was completed using old railroad ties and steel brackets to form a large cube that is partially buried and rests on an angle as if ready to topple over. The cube is 54" per side and lights from within at night. Review #1444